Sharp fall in unemployment across Sussex

Joshua Powling

Unemployment has fallen in every local authority in Sussex over the past year.

In some places the number of people out of work has more than halved in the last five years according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics based on benefit claimants.

In East Sussex unemployment remains highest in Hastings and lowest in Wealden, while in West Sussex the number of jobless is highest in Crawley and lowest in Mid Sussex.

At 0.5 per cent the Mid Sussex district has one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the UK, a figure which is a quarter of its two per cent peak in February 2010.

Only the Isles of Scilly, South Oxfordshire, Hart in Hampshire, Stratford-on-Avon, Richmondshire in North Yorkshire, and both Eden and South Lakeland in Cumbria have lower unemployment rates.

Excluding Brighton and Hove 4,548 people claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance in East Sussex last month, with the number of men claiming almost double that of women.

Meanwhile 4,601 people across West Sussex claimed JSA in May 2015, a rate across the county of less than one per cent.

Employment Minister Priti Patel said: “As the Government for working people, we want to go further and create one nation that is based on security and opportunity.

“With the South East witnessing the lowest unemployment rate of any UK regions, we will continue to help businesses in the region create jobs and support those who want to work hard and get on as part of our ambition to achieve full employment.”

According to the Government annual real wage growth is now at 2.7 per cent – the highest it has been since 2007.